Song of the Week #7 – “Sevii Islands”

Pokémon Sun & Moon aren’t the first games to feature a handful of islands! Making their debut in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, the Sevii Islands are a cluster of seven islands located just outside of Kanto. While you get a glimpse of them late into your adventure, it isn’t until after defeating the Elite Four and Champion do you get to fully explore these isles.

This archipelago serves three purposes: it provides more geography to explore that wasn’t in the original games, ties the world to its Generation III sibling games (i.e. Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire), and plays host to a new scenario that links the story to its canonical sequel, Pokémon Gold & Silver (or HeartGold & SoulSilver, depending on who you ask).

Speaking of Gold & Silver, fans of those games may recognize this tune:

It’s fun to think that a song from Generation II is playing in a Generation III remake of a Generation I game!

Composed by Junichi Masuda and arranged by Go Ichinose, this theme in particular plays whenever you’re exploring the later parts of the Sevii Islands. Like several of the songs featured in the post-game adventure, it’s an arrangement of a song first heard in Pokémon Gold & Silver – specifically, the Route 42 theme.

Between the original G/S/C version, the HG/SS version, and this version from FR/LG, this is my absolute favourite rendition of this classic theme. Something about the pitch and the instruments used for this version of the song really resonates with me, as both a song that goes with the mood of the game perfectly as well as a good tune worth listening to on its own.

Tune in every Friday for a new installment of Song of the Week, where we listen to songs and tunes spanning all mediums from the world of Pokémon!